A New Start

First thing is First..... I have a very exciting announcement.....


I am CANCER FREE!!!! 

That's right!! I got a call a few weeks ago telling me that my medicine (the one that was on a national shortage in the Fall) was in and to start my iodine free diet. No salt, dairy, soy, processed foods, and only 6oz of meat a day. It was a rough first few days without my coffee. I made it through the 2.5 weeks and then started Thyrogen injections this past Saturday. I felt like someone had sucked the life out of me. Besides screaming when the lady slowly injected me both Saturday and Sunday, I had zero energy. Zero. I went straight to bed and slept all day and all through the night just to repeat that scenario the next day.

On Monday I was given a low does of RAI and on Tuesday I had my full body scan. For 55 minutes I laid in a tube and prayed to God. I thanked God, and sang songs in my head as I tried to lay still. I went through all the things I am thankful for. All the many, many blessings that have come across my life. All the lessons I have learned. All the people that were so strategically placed in my life for a reason. (God Knows what he is doing.) And I thought about all the growth I have made over the last 18 months. I thought about how it is crazy but I can see the good that has come from this. And how it is so true that in our darkest moments, we learn to trust God and rely on HIM alone.

This is THE big scan. It is different than the ones I do every 6 months. This one is the best indicator and you have to continue to do this scan and procedure until you get a clean one. My last one showed a significant amount left in my neck and lymph nodes.

I was waiting for my results and was not very worried. I was calm. (This is so unlike me.) I just had a good feeling. I had peace. I was actually sleeping when I got the phone call with the news at 6:45pm. "Break out the champagne- you are disease free!!!" Happy, Happy, Happy TEARS! Lots of them!!

And then Chuy's was calling my name and we went out to dinner to celebrate!!!

I have closed that door and have a new start.

A week before I got the call from MD Anderson, Frank and I were talking with friends and they were telling us about a house that was about to come for sale by them, that was still is in our kids school zone. We didn't think much of it, but went to take a look as we are always looking- but nothing usually excites us. Well, this one did. The house was empty and all we could see was the backyard. When we pulled up I thought, Nahh...not really our style...but then we went in the back..and we LOVED the backyard. There was no sign in the yard yet. So in our stalker like fashion our friend went and got the neighbor to give us the owners number. I called and texted her a few times when she finally replied with "call our realtor." So I did and we placed an offer on the house the first day it was on the market.


Tomorrow we close and will own two homes. Yes, we decided we were going to wait to put our house on the market because our new house is older and has never been updated. When I say we are gutting the house. I mean it in every sense of the word. Walls are the only thing staying. No flooring is staying, no counters are staying, all new showers, new fireplaces, new vanities, new light fixtures, new faucets. EVERYTHING BUT THE WALLS is going. And even those are all changing color this weekend.

It's been busy. Hence, the lack of blogging. And then getting the call from MDA the week after we had a contract, that just made things a whole lot more interesting. That is how we seem to roll. Always a lot on our plate at once.

Meanwhile, we had told the kids we weren't going to sell the house until we renovated our new house. Gavin told a friend at the park about our new house and that night I got a text from his MOM. "We want your house- don't list it." We told her we weren't in a hurry and she said let us see if we can sell ours. I gave her a friends phone number who had a friend wanting to move into our neighborhood. One showing and her house sold. So as luck would have it, we now have a contract on our house and will hopefully only own two homes for 3-4 weeks!!!! So we get to stay in our current house while we tear the other apart. And since our neighbors are our friends, they are letting us rent it back for a few weeks after we close if need be! And their buyers are being just as lenient.

We really bought the new house for the YARD. We love the yard. The pool has to be redone, but the yard and lot are just gorgeous and back to the reserve. It is very private. We have been wanting a yard and a little more space. Something still cozy, and not too big, but with enough room. We found all that we were looking for. And with a nice remodel, I think it is going to be PERFECT for us for years to come!


Although I am going to be teary leaving the wonderful neighborhood we live in now (and miss our neighbors a WHOLE lot), I feel like everything has fallen into place and this was meant to be.

So, we have another new beginning.

A new Chapter.

Cancer Free and a New House.

We are excited!!

Traci's 40th

We had to get her. Frank and I snuck out at midnight like little kids and decorated her house and car.  We successfully let our entire neighborhood know that it was her birthday and that she was the big 4-0!!!! Here is a little of what we did......






Despite our decorations that she took down immediately upon waking up- I think she had a GREAT birthday. :) We've been warned about paybacks...thankfully we still have a little while. :)

Pulling off a Surprise and a New Little Love

Last Week I threw together a last minute surprise baby shower for one of my dear friends Jennifer. I had told her I wanted to throw her a shower awhile ago and she said NO WAY. She DOES NOT like attention. So I had to be a little sneaky about it. I threw it at my house and had everyone park away from my house. And I had her Mom make sure that she had NO plans that morning. I called her and told her I needed her to come look at something real quick and she headed on over. She knocked and I yelled, "come in..."
And this was her reaction:
A close up of her face as we all yelled "surprise!!"

Yes, I pulled it off...she was shocked and didn't get too mad at me either. :)


I made us all a yummy lunch and she opened some cute presents for her first little boy!! I love Baby Showers. But then again, I love everything about BABIES! :)

A few days ago...(a few days after the shower) she got tired of me telling her that she needs pictures of her pregnant and she agreed to let me take a few pictures of her and her beautiful girls. :) She is gorgeous  and hates the camera on her...but I think she will be happy that I was persistent and got a few shots for her to remember this moment.


And two days later.... YESTERDAY.... I got a call that she was having her baby boy. And guess who she asked to be in the room with her??? I was so honored to be a part of such a special day and to witness once again the amazing miracle of childbirth. Bennett Charles entered the world at 6:03 pm and is absolute PERFECT. Such a blessing!!!


I love him so much already and I am not even his Mama!


What a fun week with this sweet friend and welcoming her beautiful baby boy into the world!!!

YEE HAW!!!

It was Go Texan Day for all the kiddos last week at school. They all got gussied up in their cowgirl and cowboy get up and had fun at school.

Hadley's was earlier in the week.

And then it was the Big Kids turn...

They Love Rodeo Time!!! And LOVE being TEXANS!!

Ellie's Being Healthy Program

Ellie has been practicing for weeks for their Kindergarten program at school. She was extremely excited when she was chosen for a speaking part. She was so cute. They all were. Their entire program was about being healthy.



We took so much away from the program....in regards to being healthy....that we celebrated with the annual banana split afterwards. ;) And I was shocked that she almost ate the entire thing to herself!!!

CUBS BASEBALL

Gavin had such a great first season in the Fall with Baseball that he wanted to try it out again. We were hoping to get the same coach again and he had told us the night before that he was going to try and draft Gavin. But we heard late that night that Gavin was drafted first on his team before our old coach could get him. He is on the Cubs this year. We have had only two games and three practices, so not a lot of playing. But he is liking it so far.


I volunteered to make the signs for our team this year....my good friend Amy came up with a fabulous idea and I ran with it. We hang them up in their batting order each game.


Next week starts the full on 4 nights a week of baseball. We will be quite busy between that and all the other stuff we have going on. But we will be rooting for the Cubs and hope that they have a GREAT season!!!

Gavstachio

Gavin had an economics project last week where he had to come up with a "good" or "service" to sell. He fell in love with fake mustaches a few months ago when the kids discovered them in a quarter machine at Double Daves. The owner told us that they can't keep them in because they are so popular. So Gavin thought it would be a great seller. He earned money all month for good behavior and grades and then all the kids got to "sell" and "buy" items from each other. Gavin's poster made us laugh- but according to his teachers- it was a BIG HIT!!!! He came up with Gavstachio all on his own and uses a quite funny accent when saying it!!